>> the pope explained his decision to retire. this is al jazeera. the latest about iran's nuclear program. obama finally gets his man. the u.s. senate confirms chuck hagel. what increased demand for cocoanuts has failed to bear fruit for indonesia as farmers.

pope benedict xvi is making his final appearance in st. peter's square as the roman catholic pope -- his final appearance in at st. peter's square. he is the first pope in 600 years to resign. >> in these recent months, i felt my weakening strength. i prayed and asked for in light meant to make the right decision for the good of the church. >> barbara, amid the huge outpouring of affection from the faithful gathered there. >> absolutely.

a lot of people have turned out to say goodbye to pope benedict xvi. 50,000 tickets were sold. it is more likely that there are about 150,000 people around the vatican and the main road that leads to it. people are still walking towards st. peter's square, but they're being redirected to other parts around the square where there are big screens where they can watch the pope. nothing compared to the figures of the people we saw for the funeral of john paul back in 2005. that was a funeral and this is a different time in the church. the pope is driving through st. peter's square to wave to the faithful. he will have another meeting with cardinals in the morning. he will be speaking to his -- to

the people that will select a successor. this is the last time that the pope will have such direct contact with the people. he is driving around among the crowd. a little earlier, the last speech that he will make in front of the people. many issues, he talked about truth. that is interesting when we consider all the things that have been coming out of the vatican and how many people suspect the pope is standing down because he is not strong enough to get a handle all the things happening within the vatican. let's speak to our resident vatican experts. you're listening to that speech

about half an hour ago. what did you think were the most notable passages? >> it is importance -- it is important the weight of the papacy. >> there was one bed where he mentioned the dual role of the -- one bit worried mentions the dual role of the pope. he is a leader of the faith, but there is a political ankle. >> -- angle. >> it is the main problem for pope benedict xvi. the political role is to have before him. -- too heavy for him.

try to find someone more yong. >> -- young. >> the part of religion, he is in charge of peter. and he is the head of the state. >> huge finances. stay with us. let's listen to a another part of the speech that we heard an hour ago. >> there was commitment i took from the lords to take on peter's ministry. there is no longer privacy, it means belonging to the whole church. once private life is taken away, i have experienced this. what is this is complete -- what is this -- is in this communion,

one that no longer involves -- belongs to oneself. >> a word of warning to his successor and asking journalists, there has been a lot of speculation, is he asking the journalist to stop the speculating? >> the job of the pope is a job in front of the media. it is not easy had to stand in front of the media. a normalwants to say, a bishop -- >> thank you for that.

i believe there are still speech is going on in st. peter's square. the pope is driving through the crowd in the pope mobile. let's speak to paul brennan. i hope you can hear me. tommy what is going on in the square. >> -- tommy what is going on in the square. -- tell me what is going on in the square. >> the mood is quite interesting. there was no outpouring of raw emotion. the applause, for example, were warm and respectful. people were here to pay their respects and give their thanks. there was no huge enthusiasm. the applause was ripples of applause. respectful and warm without

being effusive. >> how diverse was the crowd? ages? how many members of the clergy? did you get the sense they were mainly from italy? did people come from around the world? >> a huge mix. there are 1.2 billion catholics worldwide. conventional roman catholic priest, a large number of tourists as well. we spoke to many people who came down out of curiosity. at times, when the applause went up, it had the resemblance of eight music concert. flags were waving from a lot of different countries. brazil, led the non -- lebanon.

a very big mix. as far as the ages, children and old people. such a broad mix of people who wanted to be here today. >> thank you for that report. a huge mix of people in st. peter's square. reflecting the truly international nature of the catholic church. some vatican experts feel it is not reflected by the vatican itself. it is one of the issues that the conclave of cardinals will have to think about when they decide who the next leader will be. that is it from the vatican. >> a today's summit between iran

and the world powers has concluded with a decision to hold more talks in turkey in march. they have offered iran is some relief from sanctions, but only if tehran agrees to stop certain aspects of its nuclear program. the west believes that the nuclear program is aimed at creating a bomb. as those talks were underway, erotic captivated a heavy water production plant in iraq. heavy water -- iraq and activated a heavy water production plant in iraq. most of the world's countries support his government's right to peaceful nuclear technology. >> what is important is that international community's has repeatedly supported the right of the islamic republic of iran.

the majority of the international community participated in the segment -- and the summit. we believe there is no concern for the international community and they are stressing -- the thing that iran is doing in defending its right, the defense of all member states of the non- proliferation treaty. >> egypt prime minister has ordered an investigation into tuesday's deadly hot air balloon accident. 19 people died in the crash. the hot air balloon caught fire

and plunged to the ground. at least 35 people have been killed after an overcrowded bus crashed in kenya. it was heading from nairobi. the driver had been speeding. many of the passengers had been going back to their hometowns in the north in order to vote in monday's election. in north korea, the government will allow foreigners to surf the internet from their mobile phones. this is unprecedented connectivity in a country long regarded as the world's most isolated. north koreans will remain banned from using wireless. chuck hagel has been confirmed as the new defense secretary in the u.s. he was a final vote in the u.s. senate overcoming blocking tactics by republicans. reports from washington. >> the nomination is confirmed. chuck hagel chuck had to wait seven weeks to be confirmed as u.s. defense secretary. now he might be wishing the

delay had lasted longer. >> that is a direct question. >> republican senators held up this nomination saying he was too soft on iran, to willing to get rid of the u.s. nuclear weapons arsenal, and too tough on israel. >> he is obviously not qualified for the job. he holds dangerously misguided views. >> chuck hagel? the president's strategy for ending the war in afghanistan by the end of 2014. a bigger war over money is waiting for him when he starts work. tens of billions of dollars in mandatory budget cuts are set to go into effect on friday if congress does not stop them. >> for the sake of national security -- in three days, across-the-board cuts are scheduled to take effect. pentagon needs a seasoned leader to implement the cuts.

>> $46 billion in cuts to military spending over the next seven months. hundreds of thousands of civilians could temporarily lose their jobs. the pentagon says it needs chuck hagel as soon as possible. >> this is a ridiculous way to run a budget show. we have been shouting at from the rooftops for a very long time. >> he will be sworn in as defense secretary wednesday morning. he is not getting much -- he will go from being the subject of intense congressional discussion and debate to trying to influence them. >> i want to make you aware of the developing story out of afghanistan. gov. has confirmed that 11 police officers and six civilians were killed at a checkpoint overnight. police launched an investigation

and have detained two men who they say poisoned the people at the checkpoint. that story just breaking. we are looking into>> pope benes

concluded his final appearance in st. peter's square as the roman catholic pope. 50,000 people crammed into the square. he is the first pope in 600 years to resign. a two-day summit has concluded with the decision to hold more talks in istanbul. the west believes that iran possible nuclear program is aimed at creating a bomb. chuck hagel has been confirmed as the new u.s. defense secretary. it is the first time in u.s. history a candidate in the position has faced such tactics. the head of mexico's teachers union has been arrested and accused of embezzling elba esther gordillo funds esther used her union's money for personal benefit.

>> she is one of the most powerful women in mexico. elba esther gordillo as the 1.5 million members of mexico's teachers union. a kingmaker, her political support has been crucial for every president elected in mexico over the past two decades. except for the current incumbent. in a shocking move on tuesday, attorney general ordered her arrest for allegedly embezzling about $160 million from union funds. cuts funds from the teachers' unions were illegally diverted. we are continuing to investigate because that is our promise as a government. >> the government is charging her with using the money to buy a private jet, personal homes, and for shopping sprees.

>> a total of $17,264 for paid to plastic surgery medical clinics in the united states. >> her arrest comes the week the president signed into law one of the most sweeping educational reforms in decades. only 45% of mexicans finish secondary school. in many public schools, children are taught for less than five hours a day. teachers union said the national curriculum and many blame the union for such low standards in education. the reforms came to wrestle control of the educational system away from the powerful unions to the federal government. corrupt practices have all been eliminated by the passing of the slot. -- the law. before it passed, elba esther gordillo helped organized mass

protests across the country. the president was able to get bipartisan support for his bill. for years, she has been accused of being corrupt and misusing funds. the latest move could be seen as it attempts to try to assert his control. it remains to be seen how supporters to react in the next coming days. >> two palestinian prisoners will appear before an israeli military court. they have not eaten for the last three months. michael johnston reports from west bank. >> -- nicole johnston reports from the west bank. >> every week, palestinians protest against israel arresting people in their family and their friends but many are held in administrative detention. the army can put palestinians in jail without charge and based on

secret evidence for up to six months. this period can be extended indefinitely. his brother was arrested in november. he was an administrative detention and has been on hunger strike for three months. >> the prisoners to not have any method to resist this occupation. they are stripped of all weapons except their ability to go on hunger strike. >> one man who has taken on israel this way. he was on hunger strike for 66 days until it was released. >> the hardest part is there is no way back. going back is a setback for people and those supporting us. you cannot decide to stop. >> over the years, hundreds of thousands of palestinians have been sent to israeli jails. under the system of so-called

administrative detention, anyone can be sent to an israeli prison any time without knowing the charge. he is also being held under administrative his detention. his family says he was arrested on the same night and in the same village. they said you have three minutes. he said goodbye to the kids while they were sleeping. i went to the roof. >> the families are worried they will die from hunger. but what the released. only and is relative -- an israeli military judge has the power to do that. >> italy's political deadlock has left the country in a dramatic situation.

italian split their votes at the polls. no party has a clear majority. the college in one most parliamentary seats. he is urging the former comedian to join in talks. so far, he is resisting. >> everyone must take their own responsibility. i do not know about the people of freedom party. i do not know about the five- star movement. until now, they have said everybody go home. >> they talk about coalition. they are finished. the story is finished. another story will start. why did continue with the story of coalitions? there is nothing left in this war between generations.

>> rebels say that seven people have been killed in a suicide car bomb attack. it happened at a checkpoint in the remote desert -- desert town. french and african soldiers have been involved in heavy fighting there to flesh out rebels. there are reports that the united states is considering whether to provide direct assistance to syrian rebels. it is concerned it would be something of an about turn for the u.s. mali and syria will be on joint -- i and john kerry's agenda. he met angela merkel in berlin on tuesday. he is now in paris where he is due to hold talks with french president francois hollande. >> the u.s. secretary of state

and his french counterpart will give a news conference a little later. we expect them to stand shoulder to shoulder on the issue of mali. the u.s. has backed the intervention in mali and has offered logistical support to french troops. a reminder of just how precarious the situation is in moly with this car bombing which is reported to have killed seven people. what everybody is more interested in hearing about today is what the two men will set on syria. there are reports that the u.s. is going to shift its policy slightly to an offer direct assistance to the syrian opposition. we will have to wait and see what happens in that news conference. france and the u.s. had a good relationship. the relationship nosedived after the 2003 invasion of iraq, but they seem to be getting back on track. they certainly seem to be

singing from the same song book on the issues of mali and syria. >> barack obama is calling for both sides in congress to compromise on budget talks. automatic cuts kick in on march 1. the president believes the answer to iran those cuts has already impacted the u.s. economy -- around those cuts has already impacted the u.s. economy. there is a growing global demand for coconuts. there should be did not to be good news for indonesia. farmers say they're not seeing the benefits. >> climbing up 58-100 trees a day. being a coconut farmer is a labor intensive profession. producing coconuts has been the main business in indonesia. in the past few years,

plantations have been neglected because of low market prices. farmers stopped harvesting cocoanuts altogether when prices went down to historic lows. >> we've stopped harvesting. we're waiting for the price to go up again. it is still very low. >> this is the cheapest and most traditional way to dry coconuts. this is used for coconut oil. this product is the only thing the farmers are selling. the price of coconut oil is said and the netherlands. despite a boom in coconut products, the price of coconut oil has dropped. the income of indonesian farmers is low because middlemen take most of the profits. >> farmers cannot go to the

factories directly because factory owners do not know them. they have to come to us first. it has always been like this. in every village, there is a traitor. -- trader. >> coconut farmers are looking into other means of income. >> i have asked the government many times to look for investors to build a professional coconut industry. for the whole cocoanuts. we know the coconut is a source of life. everything can be used. >> the government says it has started a nationwide replanting program. the ministry of agriculture and the ministry of agriculture and admits